'China, India must keep in mind big picture to end row'

Beijing's new envoy to India, Sun Weidong, in his first speech after taking charge, urged India and China on Tuesday to resolve their differences by keeping the 'bigger picture' in mind.

He said, “For neighbours and major countries, differences are hard to avoid. The key is to properly handle them." He further added, “We should look at issues with rationality, put them in the bigger picture, reduce differences through consultation, settle disputes through dialogue, promote peace through development, and enhance mutual trust through cooperation.”

His comments came weeks after China joined Pakistan to oppose India's decisions to strip its Jammu and Kashmir state of the special status and reorganise it into two Union Territories. Beijing had denounced New Delhi's decisions as “unilateral” and “unacceptable”, rejecting the argument of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Government that the moves on J&K were “internal” affairs of India.

“To maintain regional and global peace and stability is not only the responsibility of China and India as major countries but also the need of the two countries to materialize their own development,” said Sun, who was China’s ambassador to Pakistan from 2013 to 2017.

When External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar went to Beijing on August 12, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told him that the communist country had perceived Modi Government’s decisions on J&K as “unilateral” moves by New Delhi to strengthen claim – not only on areas of Kashmir under the occupation of Pakistan but also on 5183 sq. km areas of Pakistan ceded to China in 1963 and on Aksai Chin, a disputed territory between India and China.

China also joined Pakistan to make an unsuccessful attempt to bring back the issue of J&K back on the agenda of the United Nations Security Council.

Beijing's repeated critical statements on New Delhi's recent moves on Kashmir struck a jarring note to the bonhomie that marked the relations between India and China over the past 16 months since Modi and Xi had an “informal summit” at Wuhan in Central China in April 2018. The “informal summit” brought about a thaw in the India-China relations, which had hit a new low over the 72-day-long military stand-off at Doklam Plateau in western Bhutan in June-August, 2017.

“China and India are neighbours, partners and friends. Amicable exchanges have always been the mainstream of bilateral relations,” Beijing’s new envoy to New Delhi said. “President Xi Jinping and Prime Minister Narendra Modi initiated the hometown diplomacy and later held a historic informal summit in Wuhan, China.”

Sun served as Director General (Policy Planning) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Chinese government in Beijing just before he was appointed as China’s new ambassador to India.

He said that the Closer Developmental Partnership between China and India was moving forward along the track of sound and steady development. He noted that over 1,000 Chinese companies were doing business in India, with a cumulative investment of $ 8 billion, which had created 200,000 local jobs. More than two-thirds of Indian companies investing in China were making handsome profits, 40% of them would like to increase their investment in China this year, he added.

“If China and India speak in one voice, the whole world will listen. We both advocate world multi-polarity, economic globalization, trade liberalization, and oppose unilateralism and protectionism,” said Sun.

Though Modi is set to host Xi for the second “informal summit” later this year, China's stand on India's moves on J&K cast a shadow over the future of the détente between the two neighbours.

Sun said that the two neighbouring nations should promote the development of bilateral relations from four dimensions - “leading, transmitting, shaping and integrating”. “Leading” means to make the second informal summit a success by highlighting the guidance of the two leaders. “Transmitting” refers to the transmission of the leaders’ consensus to all levels and translate the consensus into tangible cooperation and outcomes. “Shaping” means going beyond the mode of managing differences, shaping bilateral relations and accumulating positive momentum. “Integrating” means to strengthen exchanges and cooperation, promote convergence of interests and achieve common development, explained China’s new ambassador to India.